Instead, the PCB plans to “revive junior series on a home and away basis” going forward

Umar Farooq31-Dec-2022The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) has been scrapped by the PCB’s new administration, with new plans instead to “revive junior series on a home and away basis” going forward. The decision to scrap the league had been expected since Ramiz Raja was was removed as chairman of the PCB, and was taken at Saturday’s meeting of the PCB’s managing committee, the new leadership body led by Najam Sethi.The league was Ramiz’s brainchild but massive losses in the very first year meant its future was always uncertain. The two-week tournament, a T20 league for Under-19 players from around the world, had its inaugural edition from October 6 to 21, 2022.”The PCB Management Committee agreed to discontinue the Pakistan Junior League,” a PCB statement said. “However, to ensure there is a pathway for the high-performing teenagers and the country continues to produce talented cricketers across all age gaps, it was agreed to revive junior series on a home and away basis.”It was also agreed to hold discussions with the HBL Pakistan Super League franchises to include an Under-19 player under their Emerging Categories in the playing line-ups.”A board financial report meanwhile revealed the staggering losses incurred in staging the inaugural edition. As per the report, the two-week tournament came with expenses of approximately PKR 997 million, while the PCB got an income of only PKR 190 million out of it.A week before Ramiz was removed from office, he had signed an MoU with a company for the commercial and management rights of the PJL – the deal was for 20 years, and was worth PKR 55.5 million per year. Pakistan’s federal government removed Ramiz and his Board from office last week, and revoked the 2019 constitution that the PCB was operating under. Now, a Sethi-led 14-member management committee has been handed full executive powers and been asked to rework processes to meet the requirements of the 2014 version of the PCB constitution.This new management committee has since opened an internal audit of Ramiz’s 14-month term, with the PJL facing particular scrutiny given the weight of related expenses.Why did the PCB incurs such high costs over the PJL?
When the PJL was announced, there were ambitious plans to have it based on a franchise model but turnout from bidders failed by some distance to match expectations of the board. That forced the PCB to bear the costs of putting together and running the teams itself, and later the title sponsorship and other commercial tenders also failed to bring in lucrative deals.Despite the lack of interest in the market, the PCB under Ramiz decided to go ahead with the league, calling it a strategic decision. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB’s commercial committee was reluctant to approve the expenses but the Board of Governors had given approval.What were the major expenses?
While cricket remains the most popular sport in the country, realistically only the national set-up or the well-established PSL fetch lucrative sponsorship deals. For the PJL, the response to title sponsorships rights and digital streaming rights was lukewarm at best, far lower than expectations Ramiz had: four companies came forward for the title sponsorship rights and one broadcaster for the digital rights, though in both cases the bids were below expectations. For the TV production, the PCB spent PKR 286 million and failed to close a lucrative broadcast deal, ending up partnering with PTV, the state-owned broadcaster.Additionally, some of the match fees given out at the PJL – to “elite” players – were higher than what a senior Pakistan player would get for a T20I. The league had six teams featuring a mix of 15 local and overseas players between the ages of 15 and 19, picked through a draft process and classified under three categories – four elite players with a salary of USD 16,000, five premier players (USD 12,000) and six X-factor players (USD 6000).The PCB also roped in big names like Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad, Daren Sammy, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, Vivian Richards and Shoaib Malik as mentors for each team.Did Pakistan already have a junior cricket system in place?
Ramiz’s rationale was that the league would identify and nurture talent, and close the gap between quality at the Under-19 level and the senior level.Pakistan already had a pathway in place for young cricketers, though, structured from the Under-15 to the Under-19 level. Historically, their junior players were only exposed to one-day and three-day formats, with a batch graduating to represent the country at the Under-19 World Cup every two years. Players like Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq and Shaheen Afridi have come up through the age-group ranks.Additionally, every year PSL teams picked two emerging players from the Under-19 circuit and were required to play one of them in the XI.How does the PJL bill compare to other domestic tournaments’?
PKR 1 billion was the total domestic expenditure in 2017, the same year Pakistan won their last global tournament, the Champions Trophy.This year, the PCB’s six domestic associations spent just over PKR 1.5 billion on the full season, across all formats and levels.

Weather warning on North Island as two-day tour game peters out to draw

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Feb-2023England XI 465 (Brook 97, Lawrence 85, Root 77, Foakes 57) vs New Zealand XIAs England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted to an inevitably tame conclusion, the prospect of further fine-tuning ahead of the series opener in Mount Maunganui was thrown into doubt with warnings of an incoming tropical cyclone.On Thursday the MetService issued a warning that Cyclone Gabrielle would hit the upper of New Zealand’s North Island from Sunday morning, bringing gusts of up to 150kph and as much as 300mm of rain at the start of the week. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has extended the state of emergency for a further seven days as a result, a week after torrential rains caused widespread damage to the region. The Coromandel Peninsula, which sits just above Mount Maunganui, has followed suit.England are due to arrive on Sunday with the first Test starting next Thursday (February 16). The first three days of next week were viewed as the ideal lead-in to bring players fully up to scratch, supplementing the four days training at the venue earlier in the tour, and this week in Hamilton, which culminates in an optional session on Friday morning (February 9). Now that build-up looks under serious threat.Day two of England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted predictably. A New Zealand XI flayed for 465 inside 69.2 overs on day one made the endeavour worthwhile with a spirited 310 all out in 82.1 overs through to 8:52pm local time. Quinn Sunde’s battling yet classy 91 was the pick of their resistance.The main quicks James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Olly Stone got a reasonable workout with the pink ball across three spells during the day. while Jack Leach led the way with 17 overs of left-arm spin.Ben Stokes, however, remained a bystander as Ollie Pope captained in his absence, as was the case in England’s warm-up match against the Lions ahead of the Pakistan series in Abu Dhabi. While he put himself through the wringer in the nets and out in the middle during the interval, there is a real chance that cyclone will prevent Stokes from getting the ideal amount of work in before the series begins.Related

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It is not a fear not shared by head coach Brendon McCullum, however, who backed Stokes’ decision to stay out of his whites for the last couple of days.”Some characters don’t need warm-up games,” McCullum said. “The bigger the competition, the more they step up. He [Stokes] has never been a warm-up-game kind of guy and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”Anderson and Broad opened proceedings, reunited after Broad missed Pakistan for the birth of his first child, and it was the latter who got the ball rolling, taking a sharp return catch off William O’Donnell. Anderson was made to wait until the 73rd over, removing Curtis Heaphy, caught at first slip by Joe Root once the lights had taken over for the first time in the match. However, he did affect a dismissal earlier with the run-out of Robert O’Donnell.Numerically, Stone was the pick of the attack, finishing with 3 for 54. His previous first-class match had been the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston in June 2021 before a fourth stress fracture of the back and subsequent operation kept him out for a year.Up to now, Stone’s return to action had been white-ball only: for Warwickshire, Chennai Braves in the T10, MI Cape Town in the SA20 and the first two ODIs of England’s series with South Africa, before flying to New Zealand. Here, he bowled with good pace, eventually snaring Sunde with a sharp delivery eliciting a twitch outside off stump from the right-hander.Matthew Potts, however, was perhaps the most impressive quick on display, after missing out on the tour of Pakistan. His luck was summed up with his first delivery, which tailed in and seamed away to catch Test opener Will Young’s outside edge, only for Zak Crawley to put down the catch at second slip. Potts did eventually get one in the wicket column when Kyle Jamieson hooked a bouncer high to Pope out at deep square leg.Potts, Stone and Broad will be vying for one spot in the XI for the first Test, with Anderson, Robinson and Leach in possession. The consideration for Stokes and McCullum is who will offer the best point of difference as England seek to bring to an end a seven-match winless run in New Zealand and in turn register a first series win here since 2008.On the face of it, Stone’s ability to tip the speed gun into the 90s is the precisely the point of difference England would want, particularly with a pink Kookaburra ball on a batter-friendly pitch. England’s only previous match at Mount Maunganui saw them lose by an innings and 65 runs after New Zealand posted 615 for 9.

The Shield leaders had been in trouble but end the opening day on a high

AAP21-Feb-2023A fourth Sheffield Shield century from wicketkeeper Josh Inglis ensured Tasmania’s gamble to send Western Australia in to bat failed to pay day-one dividends at Bellerive Oval.Western Australia were bowled out minutes before stumps for 300, but Inglis held the innings together after the visitors’ much-vaunted top-order slipped to 4 for 110.Inglis was the penultimate wicket to fall, caught behind off Jackson Bird for 116 off just 134 balls.Related

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At stumps, Tasmania were 1 for 5 with Caleb Jewell failing to survive the three overs before the close when he was caught behind.Tasmania are one of four teams sharing second spot and eyeing a ticket to next month’s final, with the decider almost certain to be hosted by runaway leaders Western Australia.Tasmania’s aggressive approach paid early dividends with the Shield’s leading scorer, Cameron Bancroft, falling victim to a superb Tim Paine catch behind the stumps off the bowling of Bird for just 1.There were steady contributions in the top half of the WA order from Sam Whiteman (40), Teague Wyllie (28) and Hilton Cartwright (56).WA went to tea after a rain-impacted middle session at a relatively precarious 5 for 184, but Inglis scored with regularity until his late dismissal with the last four wickets adding 80 valuable runs.

Davis claims 4 for 19 to restrict visitors before skipper’s half-century sees Sparks home

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Central Sparks got their season up and winning in fine style with an accomplished seven-wicket victory over Northern Diamonds in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Worcester.Sparks handed Diamonds their first defeat of the campaign after a dominant display at New Road, led by spinner Georgia Davis with the ball and skipper Eve Jones with the bat.Put in, Diamonds sped to 50 without loss after ten overs but then folded to 161 all out despite Lauren Winfield-Hill’s 42 from 40 balls. Davies unpicked the lower order with 4 for 19 as the last seven wickets fell for 40.Sparks then chased down the target with great efficiency to reach 162 for 3 with 70 balls to spare. Jones, who was unbeaten on 67 and Abbey Freeborn (37) added 98 in 21 overs for the second wicket to break the back of the chase and skipper Jones stayed to see her side all the way to victory with a consummate captain’s innings.Diamonds had started their innings crisply as Winfield-Hill scored 42 of the first 50 before England fast bowler Issy Wong made the vital breakthrough by bowling the fluent opener. Thereafter the innings lost momentum with only Hollie Armitage (37) and Chloe Tryon (26) making any impact against an impressive collective effort from the Sparks bowlers. Wong, Katie George and Hannah Baker took two wickets apiece before Davies bamboozled the later batters.When Sparks began their reply, Diamonds struck early when Jessica Woolston had Chloe Brewer caught at slip in the fourth over, but Jones and Freeborn rebuilt diligently. They put 50 on the board in the 12th over and advanced to 100 in the 24th before Freeborn was run out in the cruellest fashion, at the non-striker’s end when a straight drive from Jones was deflected on to the stumps by Katie Levick.If Diamonds had any hopes of inducing a clatter, they were killed off by a stylish cameo from 16-year-old Davina Perrin. Her 30 from 51 balls underpinned a stand of 45 in 12 overs with Jones. When Perrin was stumped off a nicely flighted delivery from Armitage, Sparks needed just 13 from 23 overs with seven wickets in hand and a rock-solid win to christen their home campaign was assured.

He is set to leave India on May 5 and will miss at least three of Gujarat Titans’ matches in the ongoing IPL

Matt Roller21-Apr-2023Josh Little has been included in a full-strength Ireland squad for May’s ODI series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford, a series they must win 3-0 to qualify automatically for the 50-over World Cup at South Africa’s expense.Little, the left-arm seamer, became the first active Ireland international to play in the IPL earlier this month, representing defending champions Gujarat Titans, and is expected to miss at least three of their upcoming fixtures.Little is due to leave India after Titans’ fixture against Rajasthan Royals on May 5, and will miss their games against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to play against Bangladesh.ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Ireland’s intention is for Little to feature in all three matches, even if they suffer a defeat that would rule them out of contention for automatic World Cup qualification and render the final games of the series dead-rubbers.Little is centrally contracted by Cricket Ireland, but his captain Andy Balbirnie admitted recently that the INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx.) he will pick up from his IPL contract “could take five, six, or even more years to earn while playing for Ireland.”He was granted leave to miss the recent tour to Bangladesh and the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka in order to play in the IPL, but his availability for international cricket remains a matter of ongoing discussion between him, his representatives and the national board.Mustafizur Rahman (Delhi Capitals) and Litton Das (Kolkata Knight Riders) are also due to miss around 10 days of the IPL due to their involvement in the series, having been named in Bangladesh’s squad earlier this month.Ireland’s squad also includes Craig Young, who has missed the vast majority of the 2022-23 winter due to injury but made a return in last month’s T20I series in Bangladesh. Barry McCarthy, however, misses out due to a knee injury.PJ Moor, who made his Test debut for Ireland in Bangladesh last month, has been named captain of an Ireland Wolves side that will play a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against the same opposition on May 5.Ireland squad to play Bangladesh: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.Fixtures: May 9 – 1st ODI, May 12 – 2nd ODI, May 14 – 3rd ODI (all fixtures at Chelmsford).

Jaiswal is yet to make his India debut in any format but has an outstanding first-class record where he has scored 1845 runs in 15 matches

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2023Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in the India squad for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final as a stand-by player, in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is getting married on June 3.The BCCI had added Gaikwad as a stand-by opener for the WTC final against Australia, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the batter informed the board that he would be able to join the team only after June 5. As Jaiswal holds a UK visa, he will be flying to London in the next few days.Jaiswal has been in top form in recent times. He scored 625 runs in 14 innings in IPL 2023 for Rajasthan Royals with five fifties and a century. Jaiswal is yet to make his India debut in any format but has an outstanding first-class record where he has scored 1845 runs in 15 matches, averaging 80.21 with nine hundreds and two fifties.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, he scored 315 runs in five matches, averaging 45.00, with one fifty and a century.He followed that season up with 213 and 144 in the Irani Trophy for the Rest of India against Madhya Pradesh. His aggregate of 357 runs in the match was the most for a batter in an Irani Trophy game ever.The India team has left for the WTC final in batches. Virat Kohli was part of one of the first few batches to reach London. The final will be played from June 7 to 11 at the Oval. India were WTC finalists in 2021 as well, but lost to New Zealand.

Allrounder’s 64* and two wickets keep hosts on top in tight contest with Northants

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2023Northamptonshire 219 and 55 for 2 (Vasconcelos 22, Higgins 2-11) trail Middlesex 277 (Higgins 64*, Stoneman 51, Keogh 3-52) by 3 runsRyan Higgins displayed his all-round prowess on day two of Middlesex’s LV= Insurance County Championship Division One basement battle with visitors Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.Higgins, in his second spell with the tenants of Lord’s, made 64 not out, his sixth half-century of the season, to steer the hosts from the perils of 127-5 to only their second batting bonus point of the campaign and a total of 277 – a first innings lead of 58. Mark Stoneman was Middlesex’s other half-centurion with 51, while Max Holden made 41. Rob Keogh impressed with his off-spin for Northamptonshire, returning three for 53, while Ben Sanderson took three for 76.Not content with his batting efforts, Harare-born Higgins then removed both Ricardo Vasconcelos and Justin Broad when Northamptonshire batted again, the visitors almost achieving parity by the close on 55-2, three runs behind.While Northamptonshire relied on stoic defence for their score on day one, Middlesex adopted more of a risk-and-reward approach, playing more shots, rotating the strike and, wherever possible, turning ones into twos to put pressure on the fielders. In the end, it brought some reward, though on a pitch of already variable bounce it remains to be seen whether a 58-run lead will be sufficient for a side who have to bat last.Stoneman signalled Middlesex’s more aggressive intent with two fours from one Jack White over before striking the seamer back over his head for six.Nightwatchman Ethan Bamber kept Stoneman company through the first seven overs, taking a little more of the shine off the Kookaburra ball before Sanderson uprooted his middle stump.Rob Keogh picked up three wickets•Getty Images

It would be the visitors’ last success for some time as Stoneman and fellow former England opener Sam Robson forged a half-century stand at not far shy of a run a ball. Stoneman twice savagely cut Sanderson to the fence at point while Robson found the cover boundary twice with dreamy drives.However, the right-handed Robson, like many in the match before him, never looked set and it was no surprise when White found the edge of his bat to give wicketkeeper McManus the first of his four victims behind the stumps.Stoneman became the first batter in the match to reach 50 only to fall in White’s next over when a shortish ball didn’t get up high enough for his attempted pull shot and instead picked out the left-hander’s middle stump. And when Pieter Malan and John Simpson departed to Sanderson and Tom Taylor, respectively, either side of the lunch interval Middlesex looked set for the batting equivalent of ‘Groundhog Day.’It was now Higgins made his entrance, promptly pulling his first ball through square leg for four, but thereafter it was Max Holden who made the running in their stand of 64, cutting and driving the seamers before greeting spinner Keogh with a reverse sweep for another boundary. Again though, just as the former England U19 skipper appeared set, Keogh got one through his defences to trap him on the crease.Josh De Caires didn’t stay long and when Stephen Eskinazi, batting at nine because of the finger injury sustained on day one, edged into the hands of Gay in the gully, Middlesex’s lead was a mere 11.Higgins, though, went through to a controlled 50 from 85 balls with six fours and, with the help of skipper Toby Roland-Jones, steered the hosts to that second batting point of the campaign, a landmark greeted with loud, if a little ironic applause from the Middlesex faithful.The eventual lead of 58, while not massive, looked useful, and Higgins struck in his first over to cut short a blossoming Ricardo Vasconcelos effort on 22.Broad soon followed when he edged through to Simpson, who stood up to the stumps to stop the batter standing out of his crease to negate the prospect of being leg before.

Both named in the squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa; Jess Kerr returns from injury

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-2023Uncapped batter Kate Anderson and allrounder Bella Armstrong have been named in New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.Andeson, 27, comes in on the back of a top domestic season for Canterbury, in which she topped the T20 batting charts with 536 runs at 59. She was subsequently in line for a call-up for the tour of Sri Lanka in July, but had to pull out due to a finger injury.Auckland’s Armstrong, 23, will only play the T20Is in South Africa, replacing Izzy Gaze who is in South Africa for the ODI leg of the tour.Coach Ben Sawyer was all praise for the duo. “Kate had an outstanding domestic season last year and was unfortunate to miss the Sri Lanka tour through injury,” he said. “We like her power and skills with the bat and we’re looking forward to giving her an opportunity on the international stage.”Bella’s an exciting young prospect who hits the ball hard and is an outstanding fielder, so she’s got all the attributes that we want from a White Fern.”The squad also features seamer Jess Kerr, who’s returning from injury. “It’s a real bonus to have Jess back in the squad after injury ruled her out of the Sri Lanka tour,” Sawyer said. “She’s got a world-class bowling skill set and is especially effective with her in-swinger, which is proving more and more difficult in the women’s game.”Jess bookends the innings, especially in a T20 match, as she swings it up front and then bowls an amazing legcutter at the death.”New Zealand kick off the tour of South Africa with a warm-up one-dayer on September 21, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is. The squad will undergo a training camp before leaving for South Africa, from September 10 to 14, in Tauranga.Allrounder Hayley Jensen was not considered for selection for the tour as she is yet to fully recover from the knee surgery she underwent in May.New Zealand squad for the tour of South Africa: Sophie Devine (capt), Kate Anderson, Bella Armstrong (T20Is only), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze (ODIs only), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Lizelle Lee’s 61 off 33 threatens but outgoing champions scrape home in tight finish

David Diangienda21-Aug-2023Nadine de Klerk’s unbeaten half-century set up a consolation win for outgoing champions Oval Invincibles against Trent Rockets to round off their campaign.The South African all-rounder hit 51 not out from 25 balls to rescue the Invincibles’ innings and led them to 155 for 6 at The Kia Oval.The Rockets fell just three runs short as late hitting from Alexa Stonehouse threatened to steal the win after Lizelle Lee’s 61 from 33 at the top of the order.The Rockets finished off their tournament without former England international Katherine Sciver-Brunt, who had been due to play her final game before retirement, but she was ruled out due to a hip injury.The Rockets struck with the second ball of the innings when Stonehouse found some movement to bowl Lauren Winfield-Hill for a duck.Stonehouse then bowled Invincibles stand-in captain Suzie Bates in her second set before Alice Capsey got on top of the bowling, hitting Bryony Smith over long-on for six.But Kirstie Gordon was able to peg the home side back having Marizanne Kapp stumped before Capsey departed for 35 off 24 after missing a sweep at the left-arm spinner.Paige Scholfield and De Klerk began a rebuilding job as they struck a partnership of 23 from 15, which was ended when the former was bowled aiming an ambitious shot off Naomi Dattani.But De Klerk accelerated the Invincibles’ score by hitting three consecutive fours as Stonehouse’s final set of five went for 27 and the partnership of 68 from 31 with Cordelia Griffith lifted the home side above 150.The Rockets got off to a good start as Lee struck a couple of boundaries off Kapp’s first set but the Invincibles seamer made the breakthrough by having Smith caught by Bates at long off.Eva Gray took the key wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur with her second ball, but Lee attacked the bowling aggressively. The Rockets opener raced to her half-century off 28 balls slamming Ryana McDonald-Gay over midwicket for her third six and shared a partnership of 63 from 37 with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.That raised hopes for the visitors of reaching the target, but Sciver-Brunt was lbw to Sophia Smale and two balls later Scholfield’s throw on the turn ran out Lee with a direct hit at the bowler’s end.Scholfield was able to follow up with a nonchalant return catch to dismiss Joanne Gardner. Then Smale picked up another wicket as she finished with 2 for 26 and although Stonehouse struck three boundaries in a row in a nervy finish, the Rockets came up three runs short.

Senior seamer hoping to build into World Cup just like in 2019

Matt Roller12-Oct-2023Chris Woakes made an inauspicious start to this World Cup. After leaking 45 runs in six wicketless overs against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, he had figures of 0 for 34 after four against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, conceding six early boundaries as Reece Topley got on a roll at the other end.No wonder Woakes looked relieved when he finally got on the board for the tournament, having Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind while driving a ball that did just enough off the seam to take the outside edge. He returned to have Litton Das caught behind in his second spell, and finished with figures of 2 for 49 off eight overs in England’s 137-run victory.But Woakes is used to starting slowly. In 2019, he took four wickets at 54.75 in England’s first five World Cup games, while conceding 6.25 runs per over; in their final six matches, he took 12 wickets at 18.91, with his economy rate falling to 4.54 runs per over. Across the semi-final and the final, he returned combined figures of 6 for 57.Related

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It is not a conscious strategy. “You want to hit the ground running,” he said on Thursday, a rest day for England after they flew to Delhi ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Afghanistan. “But they are long competitions, and you don’t want to peak too soon… I have built into tournaments in the past and into series, which I suppose holds me in good stead.”Woakes assessed his own form as follows: “Ideally, I’d like to have gone a bit better… I wouldn’t have said that I’ve probably bowled as well as I know I can.” By his own admission, he got things wrong against New Zealand, when he erred too full and was picked off by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, particularly in the initial powerplay.”The conditions did change, and we probably didn’t quite adapt as well as we’d have liked,” he said. “I probably haven’t executed as well as I can, but I picked up two really important wickets in the last game. In a game like that, wickets are really important, so I was pleased to have picked up those two and it gives me confidence moving forwards.”His second spell on Tuesday was particularly encouraging – and, specifically, the wicket of Das, whose 76 off 66 was the outstanding innings of Bangladesh’s attempt to chase 365. Woakes is known as “The Wizard” by his England team-mates, and the ball that accounted for Das was the culmination of several months’ work on a new trick.Since turning his attention to white-ball cricket after the Ashes, Woakes has been working on his cutters – in particular, an offcutter which he is trying to bowl with the seam upright. “In these conditions, if I can bowl it with the seam up and it grabs the seam, it either holds or skids a little bit better,” he explained. “The delivery itself is the same, it’s just the way it comes out from a seam point of view.”Working with Warwickshire’s bowling coach, Stuart Barnes, Woakes has also been perfecting a legcutter, which he bowled extensively through his second spell against Bangladesh. “I obviously had this [the World Cup] in mind. Coming here to Asia, I think it could be a wicket-taking delivery, taking the ball away from a right-hander… you’re always trying to adapt your game and trying to develop it, regardless of your age.”England’s next assignment is Sunday’s day-night match against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a venue which has hosted two uncharacteristically fast-scoring games so far. Despite spending an IPL season with Delhi Capitals, Woakes never played for them at the venue – though did play there once in 2017 for Kolkata Knight Riders, and in a tour match for England a decade ago.”It’s quite an iconic Indian cricket ground, isn’t it?” Woakes said. “It’s always exciting to play at these sorts of venues. It looks like it’s been relatively high-scoring… we’ll expect that, but we’ll have to adapt to conditions on the day and we’re coming up against an Afghanistan team who are dangerous and can really compete on their day. We won’t be taking them lightly either.”And despite a gruelling travel schedule – England’s fixture list is the second-most taxing of any team, behind the hosts India – Woakes is optimistic that he could feature in all nine of their group games, as he did in 2019. “I obviously would like to,” he said. “I certainly hope so… from a physical point of view, I think it’s possible.”